Lawmakers Wait For Answers On Hrbt

NORFOLK — One state lawmaker has a simple question as transportation officials begin to investigate how a water main break in the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel caused last week's massive traffic jam.

Why didn't someone just turn off the water?

"The entire episode could have been avoided if someone had figured out, 'We got a leak,' " said Del. G. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News. "The water pressure was so bad on the island they couldn't flush the toilet."

The broken 52-year-old pipe flowed for more than eight hours before it was identified and traffic was diverted, Virginia Department of Transportation officials said Friday.

The pipe, encased in concrete beneath the westbound road surface, led to about 2 million gallons of water filling underground ducts, eventually closing the tunnel.

The break could not have come at a worse time.

It happened as maintenance crews scrambled to respond to several emergencies caused by an intense storm.

Downed power lines closed the James River Bridge and power went out at the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.

The water main break was not related to the storm, but storm-related events affected the response, VDOT said.

Oder said he will reserve judgment on VDOT's performance until an independent review panel sorts through the timeline of events.

The storm struck the area about 9 p.m July 1.

According to VDOT, maintenance noted no water supply to the HRBT facility about three hours later - 12:01 a.m. on July 2. The lack of water was noted again at 1:53 a.m.

A few hours later, all westbound traffic was stopped due to standing water in the tunnel.

At 7:42 a.m., maintenance crews secured the water main and shut off the supply.

Other lawmakers said the snafu raises questions about priority given to the HRBT and the general lack of funding for transportation maintenance.

Miller, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, blamed the Republican-controlled House of Delegates for blocking solutions that state senators support.

Oder dismissed the criticism, saying the House has passed transportation funding bills.

"It is political posturing to try to blame this on a funding issue," he said. "This is a maintenance issue that is the responsibility of the administration."

Del. Phil Hamilton, R-Newport News, said the incident points out the HRBT should be given more priority in planning transportation upgrades, something he has advocated before the problem was highlighted by the flooded tunnel.

As a senior budget negotiator, he knows the state faces a tight budget, but says that should not deter lawmakers from finding solutions.

"Last year, we faced a tight budget and we reallocated resources to help the disabled," he said. "Let's just have a candid conversation."

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine still sees transportation funding as an urgent matter even as he seeks to cut spending in the face of a recession, his spokesman said.

"The governor has shown that he is not a slash-and-burn budgeter," said spokesman Gordon Hickey.

"He carefully looks at all the reductions he makes in spending, and he will look again in this latest round," he added.

Although layoffs have reduced staffing at the HRBT, it is unknown whether that contributed to last week's problem.

However, neither Hamilton nor Oder saw that as a major question.

Hamilton said it would be a "convenient excuse" and would not address the larger question of why the HRBT hasn't been a larger priority.

And Oder said, "It doesn't take extra people to figure out there is no water in the toilet."

OFFICIALS QUESTIONS VDOT RESPONSE

Del. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News, wants to know why a broken water main in the HRBT flowed for eight hours before VDOT shut off the water supply. Other lawmakers questioned funding and other priorities.